Former Taliban Ambassador Detained by U.S. Immigration Officials
The former Afghan diplomat, Mohammad Rahim Wahidi, who previously served as the Taliban’s ambassador to Spain, was apprehended by U.S. immigration authorities upon his arrival in the United States on Saturday. Following a federal judge’s decision on Monday, he remains in custody, as the court declined to order his immediate release.
Detained at Washington Dulles International Airport, Mr. Wahidi’s situation has been described by his attorney as a troubling example of the potential misuse of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This law grants the Secretary of State the authority to deport noncitizens deemed a national security risk.
According to legal filings, Mr. Wahidi is a lawful permanent resident of the United States, while his wife, Mary Shakeri-Wahidi, holds U.S. citizenship. His attorney, Hassan Ahmad, highlighted the complexities surrounding his case.
Interestingly, the Trump administration has invoked similar legal frameworks to revoke visas for numerous students involved in pro-Palestinian protests, suggesting that their activism may lead to detention and deportation. Notable cases include students like Mahmoud Khalil, Rumeysa Ozturk, and Momodou Taal, whose demonstrations against Israel were linked to perceived “adverse foreign policy consequences,” thereby justifying their removal.
Mr. Wahidi’s circumstances, however, appear to diverge from these instances. His legal filings indicate that his brother-in-law is wanted by U.S. authorities in connection with a plot to assassinate an Iranian journalist, a situation previously outlined by the Justice Department in a news release issued in November.
During his tenure in Spain, Mr. Wahidi was stripped of his diplomatic title amid allegations of sexual assault. Despite these serious accusations, no criminal charges were ever filed against him, and he was permitted to leave the country without legal repercussions.
Upon his return to the United States via a Turkish Airlines flight on Saturday, Mr. Wahidi was detained for over 30 hours without access to legal representation, as noted in court filings. During this period, he underwent interrogation by an unspecified number of officers, believed to be affiliated with the FBI, according to Mr. Ahmad’s petition.
Mr. Ahmad, who has also represented Badar Khan Suri—a postdoctoral student at Georgetown University facing deportation due to his activism on campus—has raised concerns regarding the treatment of individuals in similar situations.
After Mr. Wahidi’s request for release was submitted, U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema issued an order preventing the government from transferring him out of the jurisdiction. In previous cases involving student activists, individuals have frequently been relocated to Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers in Louisiana, often hundreds of miles away from their original arrest locations.
As of now, neither Mr. Ahmad nor a representative from Customs and Border Protection has responded to inquiries seeking comment on the matter. Judge Brinkema, while reviewing the case, refrained from issuing an immediate order for Mr. Wahidi’s release, stating that “at this point the court cannot offer any relief.” However, she mandated that the government adhere to Customs and Border Protection’s short-term detention standards and allowed Mr. Wahidi the right to communicate freely with his lawyer during the ongoing proceedings.
